Jeannette Van Houten, M.Ed

I know we are 33 days from the kick off.  This is my version of planning like a pro. There are many excellent ideas that might be more helpful than mine.

There are many newbie's going to attend Closing the Gap for the first time in the coming month. It is an awesome conference to attend and learn what others are up to. If you have never attended this conference before it is an overwhelming experience. The best way to describe the feeling is like getting your drivers license and taking your first drive independently. You have these overwhelming feelings of anxiety, excitement, fear and sheer exhaustion.

There are many fabulous presentations this year from some very well know presenters who return every year and generously share their ever inspiring knowledge to new faces who have wonderful ideas and are energized about the things they have discovered. Closing the gap is about energizing your batteries for the school year before us and motivates us to push further than we did the year before for the children and adults we serve.

Now with 200 or so presentations from Thursday to Saturday it is important to have your game plan. You don't have to have a game plan, but I will let you in on the inside secret, planning is the key. With all the excellent workshops that are happening you can't be in all the places you want to be. So devise that plan, conspire with co-workers of friends you have made on the listserv to cover more workshops. A network is an excellent source of information. And it gives you a reason to head to the bar (shhh) at the end of the long day.

The first step to a good conference:

1.    HAVE FUN -- NETWORK -- BE HAPPY!

2.    Understand your need. What is your area you want to gain knowledge about and enrich your life? What are the obstacles that you face at work? Who is that one student that you have tried everything with and still can't get meaningful access? All these questions and concerns can be addressed.

3.    Give yourself some breathing room. There are workshops that are running from 8:00am to 4:00 PM. Remember to hydrate and feed your self. Your brain will thank you. Plus walking around like a deer in headlights is not always an attractive look.

4.    Make time for the Exhibitors. They do get excited to meet new friends and catch up with old friends. They also run out of conversation when they have to talk to themselves all day long.

5.    Give yourself some decompression time to digest what you have learned or seen. A nice brisk walk in the Minnesota air always helps you come to your senses.

6.    Know that there are some very popular workshops and presenters. Know that these presentations get very crowded. Get there early.  Sit right up front. Fill the room.

7.    Freebies -- we all love the free things. If a presenter is offering a freebie be considerate - take only one, if they have extra I am sure they will let you take a second one (they don't want to have to carry it home). However, if the presentation is packed, the people in the back of the room often leave empty handed. The key is that the presenters pay for all materials that are being shared. Many of the presenters will tell you that you can burn your own copy to share with others.

8.    Be patient with the presenters. Some workshops get more crowded than others and handouts run out. Again take only one, when you get home, you can photocopy the information. Or if the presenter is organized like many are who speak often, CTG posts handouts on the website after the conference.

9.    Turn off the CELL PHONES or at least put it on silent mode. There is nothing worse than hearing a cell phone going off in the middle of a presentation. Everyone starts to look around to see who it is. And it's not like you are going to have a conversation in the middle of the room. (Sorry, pet peeve).

10. Be generous to the presenters. It is not easy getting in front of a group of your peers and sharing information. Even seasoned presenters sometimes have technology issues or an off beat moment. The feedback which presenters get helps them to improve.

Must bring materials: - Warning --- this is a moment of organization. 

1. HAVE FUN -- NETWORK -- BE HAPPY!
2. Labels with your contact information make visiting the Exhibitor hall so much easier. It beats writing your name 100 times.

Name

Address

Email address

3. Take business cards for the contacts you meet. The amount will vary but typically 100 will do you just fine. If you don't have business cards, get friendly with your MS Word and Avery business cards.
4. Highlight marker -- I typically bring 2 colors. One color for my first choice workshop and the second for my backup workshop.
5. A felt tip pen -- they rarely run out of ink, you can take notes while moving and take very little effort to write.
6. A backpack or large canvas bag to toss over your shoulder to collect all the goodies that are given out. Now, if you have something on wheels, be friendly to others - keep them close.
7. A small handbag just for the essentials (credit card- cash). The small bag is great because you are not lugging two large bags around that weigh a ton.
8. Snacks -- trying to get a good breakfast and lunch is sometimes tough. You might have a presentation that you can't miss or in the middle of a double one. The lines can get lengthy, they move quickly, but maybe not quickly enough.
9. A camera is good to bring. Please remember if you are going to take pictures of presenters' displays, ask for permission.
10. An expandable file. This is just anal me. When I get back to the hotel room I sort presentation hand outs with my notes, special offer flyers and so forth. Whatever you do, avoid taking a ton of catalogs from the Exhibitors unless you have to. They add up quickly in the suitcase. About 250 6 page catalogs weigh roughly 50 lbs.
11. A clipboard. You will not have a writing surface in most of the presentations and you may not be lucky enough to get a seat. Clipboards are lightweight and easy to manage. I like the clipboard cases with folders. OK again -- anal me. But this way all my handouts are in the clipboard nice and neat.
12.  Post-it notes or flags -- helps you keep track of important information to share or look for. Ex: When a presenter shows a piece of software or suggests a booth to visit, flag it; this way it is easy to spot. Again, anal me.
13.  This is just me and avoiding over weight luggage -- sometimes it is easier to UPS the catalogs and items you purchase than lug them back. I especially like mailing the software. This way it doesn't get lost or broken in my luggage. I think the most I have spent is $25 to UPS materials home. Overweight luggage can cost you $50 and up.
14.  When traveling -- make a copy of your credit cards back and front. This way if you misplace your credit card or it gets stolen, you can make a phone call to the company without all the hassle.

How to survive the EXHIBITOR HALL

The Exhibitor hall is the AT playground.  This is like the Willie Wonka Factory, at every turn there is something more exciting. There are 3 large rooms and 3-4 suites with a handful of Exhibitors. The entrance room is a small room as soon as you come through the security station. Then the main hall is the big names that we all know and love. The hall opens up Wednesday  night and is open all day Thursday through Saturday.  Please remember that some of the Exhibitors might have moved from their well known location to new locations so get that map out.

Survival Plan:

1.    HAVE FUN -- NETWORK -- BE HAPPY!

2.    Look at the map and names of the Exhibitors on the website or in the book.

3.    The morning is a great time to visit the exhibitor hall. That is because everyone is in presentations. But if you want quality time with a few of the exhibitors AM is the time to visit. It is also helpful if you bring coffee or tea to them. (Just joking).

4.    Make a list and check it twice. I suggest three columns.  First column need to spend some time with the Exhibitor, Two - Want to see what is new, and third I have to see what is new but let me at least get a catalog.

5.    Remember there are many Exhibitors that have show times. They give large presentations, they have drawings but you need to be there to win. So if you want to spend time in the vending hall, plan for the show times. Typically the shows last about 30 minutes and are a wealth of information.

6.    Wednesday is preview night in the hall. This is your practice run. Get a feel for the rooms and make sure you highlight in your book where your favorite Exhibitors are.

7.    Now catalogs. If you are like me and you have the need to have a catalog in hand, bring a small bag with you that you don't mind checking. Put the catalogs in checked luggage or mail them home. The reason I like to take a catalog is because when I am in the quiet of my room, I can flip through the catalog, flag it, and then return to the exhibitor hall to ask questions or get specific information on what I flagged.

8.    Remember the smaller companies when in the vending hall. Many are doing great things that often get passed up for the bigger exhibitors.

9.    Don't hesitate to say to an Exhibitor, "I don't have much time; tell me what is new," or ask for a short conversation about the new products. Everyone in the hall is there to help you and get you the best information that can be had. If a person doesn't know the answer, there is no doubt someone around them will.

10. Bring cash -- credit cards -- PO's and your first born (joking). Many of the Exhibitors in the hall have great deals for the conference. If your employer allows you to purchase things, it is a great time to get more for your buck. 

11. At times, the vending hall gets really crowded. It can be like the mall at holiday time; all of a sudden you are swept up by the crowd. If you are with a group of people, have a meet spot. It can be a booth, the registration area, the bar (shhh). But this way you don't get frustrated that you were swept away.

12. Also, HAVE FUN -- NETWORK -- BE HAPPY

Thank you, for taking the time to read this long post and I hope it comes in handy!

Sincerely yours,

Jeannette Van Houten, M.Ed
Curriculum and Asssitive Technology Specialist
CP of New Jersey
354 South Broad Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08608
jvanhouten@optonline.net

*This article appeared on the QIAT list 9/17/06.
http://sweb.uky.edu/~jszaba0/qiatlistserv.html

© 2006 ConnSENSE Bulletin